


Dark Family

by Seablue_eyes_9311



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Harry, Character Bashing, Family, M/M, Male Slash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 05:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3838009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seablue_eyes_9311/pseuds/Seablue_eyes_9311
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Harry goes to the Dark lord, expects to be killed. What suprises awaits him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dark lords have a heart

Chapter 1 Dark Lords have a heart

Lord Voldemort, the dark lord, Tom Riddle, enemy of Harry Potter and darkness itself, was sitting on his throne in Slytherin manor, his fateful death eaters was standing before him, his inner circle. You may think that he was angry and in full mode of throwing cruciatus curses at his followers, but it was not the case. Why would he harm his only family. Yes, you heard right, lord Voldemort did in fact see his inner circle as a family, mismatched as it was but a family none the less. They all cared for him and he in turn cared for them very much.

In this very moment he was sitting, thinking about how to get rid of Albus Dumbledore, his one-time enemy. You may think that Voldemort had Harry Potter as this enemy but that was not the case. The boy had just gotten in the way, manipulated by Dumbledore and his minions. Voldemort didn´t really want to kill the boy, but Dumbledore kept trying to get his pawn to do the dirty work for him. Voldemorts thoughts was interrupted when the big doors at the end of the hall opened and a person clad in a black cloak, masking the face, stepped trough. The boy, because of his body language and figure you could see he was a boy, halted in the doorway before he started going towards the Dark lord. The death eaters pulled their wands and were ready to attack, but one silent hissed order from their master made them draw back. The person made his way to the front standing before the dark lord, who had gone down from the throne and was standing mere meters from the figure, his wand drawn just in case. The figure got down on his knees, pulled back his hood and looked up. 

The sight that met Voldemort made him almost gasped in surprise, before him on his knees were Harry Potter himself, the-boy-who-lived, Golden boy of Gryffindor, hope of light and many more names. Voldemort looked at the boy before him and in to the boys eyes, they were dulled and not as bright green as they used to be, they held a pain and sorrow that made even the dark lords heart break a fraction.   
It was a long silence in witch nothing happened. Then the moment had gone pass and Potter opened his mouth, saying words that nobody had thought he would say ever

“Please, kill me now.”

Everybody froze and looked at the boy. Voldemort crouched down, took the boys chin in his hand. Watching how the boy closed his eyes waiting for his end, but it never came. He opened his eyes again and Voldemort, the one that always intended to kill him, the one who´s whole goal to end the war was to kill him, asked

“Why, Harry? Why should I kill you?”

“Because it´s your goal, isn´t it? All my life you have tried to kill me, now´s your chance.” Harry almost spitted out.

“No, Harry. My goal has never been to murder you.” Harry looked at him in disbelief and stated yet again

“Even if that was the case, can you kill me now?”

“Why would I do that? What has made you want to die so badly, what is it that you can´t take anymore?” Voldemort asked, in a surprisingly soft voice.

“Does it matter, just kill me. It has never stopped you before.”

Harry started to panic. He looked frightened and he looked at the death eaters around but they just looked back with almost pitying looks. Then Harry started to cry, his shoulders fell and his whole body shock in the sobs he let forth. He looked up in the dark lord’s eyes, they were filled with true concerned, something Harry never in his whole life had seen directed at himself. Sure Hermione and Ron had showed their feelings but it had made Harry bad inside like it was something missing and now, when he looked in his nemesis’s eyes he found what he never had experienced before, someone who cared. 

It was in that moment he did an unexpected and crazy move; he lifted his arms and flung himself around the dark lord. Just crying, griping hard in the man’s robes and sobbed his heart out. Voldemort was at first shocked at what the boy was doing but he composed himself and held the crying boy in his arms, tight, before standing up. He looked at his death eaters, they nodded and almost everyone left. Those who stayed, Lucius Malfoy with his wife Narcissa, Bellatrix Lestrange who was not as crazed out as many thought, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew stayed for a bit but walked out after looking at Harrys form in his master’s grasp. After the last one got out his closest members of the family came forth to see if they could help. Harry was still sobbing against the Dark lord’s shoulder and was oblivious to the world around him, but he flinches and looks up when he felt somebody put a hand on his shoulder. He followed the arm and saw Snape there; he recoils back and hides in the robes of his enemy. Nobody understand anything of Harrys behavior and Voldemort asks him

“Harry, what is wrong?” 

If it was the Dark lords voice or the whole situation that is making the decision for Harry but he just want to tell them, he doesn’t know why he just feel that it´s the right thing to do so he tells them the truth in a trembling and slightly scared voice; he tells them of his abuse at the Dursley’s, how they beat him with fists and all sorts of things, how his cousin Dudley kept shoving him in the walls and his lengthy stays in his cupboard deprived of food. And he goes on tells them of how he thinks that Dumbledore and his “light side” are just using him to end the war. He had heard that both Ron and Hermione was getting paid for being his friends and how they hated him, everything he spilled to his hated enemy and when he was done and just trying to breath, Bellatrix does something unexpected she stand before him, he´s still in Voldemorts arms, and she hugs him, a real tight hug and he basks in the feeling, wondering ‘Is this how it feels when somebody who loves him, hugs him’ he doesn´t know. He just takes the moment with stride, hoping it will never end.


	2. Understanding the family

Chapter 2 Understanding the Family 

Harry fell asleep in the Dark lord’s hold, he snuggled up against his body and Voldemort looked at the boy with understanding eyes. He looked around at his family and they nodded understanding his question. So he went from the meeting hall and up the stairs. He soon came to the family-wing in the manor; the only other occupant at this moment was his familiar, the snake Nagini. She was in his own chambers, he felt trough the soul-bond he shared with her because she was his horcrux. So he called her to him and when he was standing before the door to the wing who the main heir once occupied, he could hear her slither up beside him. She didn´t say anything yet, she just watched as he laid Harry on the queen-sized bed and started undressing him. 

The sight that met him was shocking and rather gruesome, all over Harry’s front were welts after what looked like a belt and he had scarred and burnt skin. Some of the injuries were fresh and was seeping blood. Voldemort was shocked to find the boy still alive with the amount of injuries he had. When Voldemort had patched up the front he turned Harry’s body around, awaiting the worst and he was not disappointed. Harry’s backside was in even worse shape than his front. His back was marred with scares both old and new. The most looked like they had been made with a knife and when Voldemort hunched forward to look more closely he could smell salt in the wounds and a bit of gasoline. If he was right Harry had escaped just before the filthy muggle could set him alight, when he worked on closing the wounds and bandaging Harry he felt something wet on his own cheek. When he felt with his hand he felt the dampness and he was mesmerized when the insight that Harry’s situation had made him cry and he felt that had he not killed Lilly and James, maybe Harry didn´t have to be in this situation.

In that moment he felt real regret for killing them. In the exact same moment he felt a small tingling feeling all over his body. The hand against his cheek felt how the skin and muscles changed. When the feeling stopped he conjured a mirror and looked at his face; long gone were snake like features instead there were a handsome male, he had long ebony hair, a straight fine nose, his skin was not as deathly pale, but a more healthy paleness. He looked like he did when he was sixteen just older, in his thirties or so, but with the blood-red eyes. He pondered on why the change had happened, when he heard Harry whimper in his sleep. 

So he pulled himself from his stillness and looked over at Harry, the boy was whimpering and making distressed noises so Voldemort did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He walked to other side of the bed, shedding his outer robes on the way, and then he lay in the bed next to Harry who at once calmed and made to snuggle up to the man beside him. Voldemort was wondering if this was normal but let it pass for the mean time and started to massage Harry’s head, dragging his fingers through the black locks. Soon Voldemort had fallen asleep also; his hand still in Harry’s hair and Harry was still clinging to the form of the Dark lord. Nagini looked at her master, before starting to slither out of the room, and wonderd if the hatchling was going to help her master.  
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When Harry woke up he was disoriented and a little dizzy but he soon became clear in the head when he realized were he was and what had happened the last night. He tried to sit up but an arm over his stomach was hindering him. When he looked over to the person he thought his heart stopped, there was a handsome man and someone Harry thought was long gone. Sleeping next to him were the face and body of Tom Riddle before he became lord Voldemort, there were a little change. He looked older than his sixteen year old self who stepped through the diary. Harry blushed when he realized that he himself had taken hold off the dark lord in his sleep and he released the robes he had been grabbing in a vice like grip. 

When he again tried to sit up he felt the arm around his stomach tightened and he looked over at the dark lord, who had opened his blurry eyes. It took a moment before Voldemort’s eyes became focused and when he saw Harry he just smiled, not smirked or laughed meanly, just smiled. Like Harry was his everything. He released Harry, who responded by sitting up and looking at the dark lord in astonishment, baffled by his new or old, it´s how you want to see it, looks. 

“God morning, Harry” he heard Voldemort say but he could almost not believe it, here was the dark lord, smiling and acting nice. 

“God morning” Harry had a little difficulty saying it but he figured it was better to be polite than have the evil wizard mad at him. After that he yawned and Voldemort chuckled at the adorable picture it made. But then he calmed down and got a thoughtful look in his red eyes.

“Harry” he said, a little wary if his question was too soon but he hoped not. “I was wondering because I saw your injuries yesterday,” he saw how Harry tensed and he tried to sooth him by laying a hand on his shoulder and trying to explain fast “ Harry, I healed you and I know from my own experience that those injuries was that of abuse, who was it?”

Harry was still tense but he looked up when the dark lord admitted to his own abuse, he thought that Voldemort never would have admitted something like that out loud. It was in that moment it dawned on Harry, maybe Voldemort only wanted to help.


	3. Everything that happend

Chapter 3 Everything that happend

Harry was woken by his house-elf, Floppsy and she said that ‘master wanted to see Harry’. So Harry got up and got dressed, he had a whole new wardrobe so he put on some tight-fitting black slacks, a white button-up and an emerald cloak witch he left open and let it swish behind him when he went to his father’s study. And now you might be wondering father? And yeah that exactly what he means. You must understand that it was the end of the summer and Harry had come to Voldemort in the beginning, you see under this time, these short months Harry had been adopted by Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as ha was more known as nowadays. I see you don´t understand what I´m talking about so I will tell you, it started just that same morning Harry woke up and understood that Voldemort just maybe wanted to help.  
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨Flashback¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  
When Harry realised this he looked towards Voldemort and asked right out

“Would you help me? I don’t know what or why and…” he was interrupted by Voldemort hugging him to his chest and whispering but to Harry it was like he had yelled it

“Of course Harry I help you. I’ve seen how you struggle and I will say the truth to you I can’t say that I didn’t want to kill you then because at the time I wanted to get rid of you, but you must understand that I only wanted to get to Dumbledore, he is the one I want to kill not you it has never been you. But Dumbledore sent you in my way time over time and I couldn’t do anything then try and get you out of there. I hope you will forgive me, Harry, because I never wanted to harm you or the children of our world. Why do you think I never attacked Hogwarts, everybody thought I was afraid of Dumbledore. The truth to tell I didn’t, I don’t want to hurt the children. They are the future and it’s Dumbledore that’s the real evil. He sent you out in his stead battling me; he is a master manipulator I tell you. So yes, Harry, I promised I will help you.”  
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That’s what happened that day and from that day forward both Harry and Voldemort or Tom as Harry was allowed to call him, started working together to try and get Dumbledore to fall from his position. It was about a month after Harry had started living with Tom that he came to the understanding that Tom was acting more like a father to him every day, he was so kind and he showered Harry in affection which Harry was starved after in the Dursley’s care. Sometimes Harry would sneak in to Tom and lay beside him in bed just for the reassurance and the safety he felt when Tom hugged him. It took almost a half month before Tom went to Harry and asked him:  
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Tom was walking towards the library were he knew Harry was situated doing his school assignments. Tom took a deep breath before he opened the door and waked over to Harry, who put his book down and looked at Tom with questioning eyes.

“Harry, I …” he paused before continuing “Harry, I have thought much on our relationship and I want you to know that I love you very much. Under this short time we have come to know each other pretty well and I hope you will accept this.”

He held forth a document to a puzzled Harry, wondering if this was the wrong move. Harry opened the document and in it he read, and he read again and again. After the fifth time Tom was on his way to breakdown thinking that Harry would find it disgusting or even, he didn’t know how to describe it. But he looked at Harry and saw the tears, it was just before Harry lunged at him and hugged him really tight and didn’t let go for a long time before he heard a muffled voice ask

“Is it true? Is it really true?”

“Yes, Harry” he answered. “I want to adopt you, becoming your father and I hope I didn´t made a mistake.”

Harry let go a little bit of Tom, but stayed in his lap and felt rather content.

“No, I would be really happy. But how would we get it legal I saw you had your real name writhen and everybody knows you real name now, after I told it last year.”

At that Tom burst out laughing, after some time he calmed down and told Harry that he was friends with the Minister, and have very good contacts through the Ministry of Magic, it’s thanks to them that Dumbledore has yet to take over. “That’s why Cornelius was so against you last year when you told him of my resurrection. So I promised he will let trough with this adoption. I was wondering if you wanted to, and this is your choice, if you could go through with a blood-adoption?”

“What’s that?”

“Well, it’s a potion that allows you to become my heir and son in everything, even blood. It’s going to change your appearance looking a little more like me. You will still have both your parents’ blood and you can continue to be Harry Potter, but you can choose to take my name if you want to.”  
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And to tell you the truth Harry got adopted in blood. His appearance didn´t change so much, he got about an inch taller, not that it was any good he was still small. His hair got silkier and he let it grow a little more so it was more tameable, and his face lost its round compound and he got a more aristocratic look, with sculptured chinbone and his skin turned a little more pale, not overly so but it gave a small glow to his skin that made him look more fragile in others eyes, not that anyone would tell him. Even more had happened, in that short time. Tom had gone public and under veritaserum he had confessed, but also stand forth and had a good defence. The Wizingamot was there and everyone had followed the trial, but not everyone was convinced that ‘Voldemort’ was as good as he was saying. It was in that moment Harry stepped forward and Dumbledore grinned thinking that Voldemort’s doom was coming.  
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨Flashback¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  
‘The Potter brat would get the dark lord to fall.’ Dumbledore thought, but he choked on his lemondrop when he heard what Harry had to say

“I know that everybody has many thoughts on Tom and on his ways. I know he has hurt many and you all know my story, he came after me and my parents. And you might think that I most of all want to see him gone but I can assure you, I don’t. You see my childhood was not the most glorious, like many of you think” at that he looked towards Snape, before continuing” my relatives, my mother’s sister and her family, was afraid of magic and because of it I had to suffer. I know many of you have hard to think that the Golden Boy has gone through anything hard in my life, but before I came to Hogwarts my life was nothing else than surviving. I won’t go into details, but I was on my verge of dyeing” here many of the assembled gasped and looked horrified, everyone believed him because the emotions Harry let forth when he was speaking was so raw and so real that it could not be anything but the truth” many times before I turned eleven and when I started at Hogwarts it only turned worse. You know the worst part is that I hadn’t needed to go there. You all know my godfather, Sirius Black, was innocent and one man could have made the Wizingamot see reason and had a trial, but for the same reason he kept my godfather from me. He also put me with my relatives, just so he could have a pawn, so he could control me. I know I may have some influence in the Magical world and I know about my fortunes, those things are the reasons this man put me where I was. Just so he would seem like my saviour so I would trust him. And you may wonder who this man was I will tell you in the hopes that he will go to court and get what he deserves, that man was Albus Dumbledore.” 

As soon as Harry had said the last word everyone turned to look at said man and the aurors took the man away while he was struggling. Everyone turned to Harry and the Minister asked Harry

“The Wizingamot has yet to hear what your statement on Mr Riddle is, Mr Potter.”

“Yeah, I was coming to that, but I had to explain my life first because you will then understand that when I tell you that I will speak for Mr Riddle defence, “ everybody gasped” it’s really simple why” Harry continued “ in the beginning of the summer I had a beating from my uncle and I had had enough. So I travelled to, at the time I thought, Voldemort’s hideout and I came to him in a full deatheather meeting. I begged him to kill me, “everybody gasped again and now many started to cry. To hear a boy not yet sixteen wanting to die, it’s just sad “but he denied my request. He told me how he had not wanted to kill me, that Dumbledore had put me in his way time over time. That was why he sometimes tried to kill me just to get to Dumbledore but in the end he didn’t want to hurt me and if you’re still in denial I can assure you that he was serious when he wanted to protect me.”

“And why is that, Mr Potter?” asked the Minister, a smirk flying over his features. He knew what Harry was going to say would rock the whole Wizarding World to its foundations.

“He adopted me…”  
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So now everything is out in the open and Harry was going to his father’s study.


	4. The Alley of Confrontations

Chapter 4 the Alley of Confrontations 

Harry stood before his father’s door and he hissed low to the guardian in the portrait and also his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin.

“Harry,” he nodded in acknowledgement” I presume you father has sent you?”

“Yes, Salazar, I do not however know why. Would you let me in?” He said with a smirk, before the door swung open and he stepped over the threshold. He went over to the desk and sat down before his father, who was clad in his emerald cloak with silver trimming. Tom looked his son over before saying

“Harry, it´s a week left before you will go to Hogwarts and we have yet to go to Diagon Alley. I know it will be your first trip outside the manor after the trial and I know you don´t like the attention but we have to go and I was hoping you want to accompany me today?”

“You know, father, that I am used to the attention and as you say we have to so, yes, I would love to come with you.” Harry said with a small smile.

“Then we will go now, before it gets to crowded”

Both rose from their seats and Harry went towards his father, who took a steady grip before apparating to Diagon Alley. (AN: only family members can apparate within manor walls)  
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They landed in a dark alley and both went out in the light and Harry went beside his father as the started towards Flourish & Blotts. Not soon after they were almost mobbed by the people already in the Alley. Everyone asking and trying to get a glimpse of both Harry and Tom. When Harry caught sight of Rita Skeeter in the masses, he took his father’s hand and made a beeline for the closest shop which turned out to be Flourish & Blotts. The shop doors closed behind them and the clerk gave them a quick nod before hiding his wand again. Harry went to the rows for school books and came back with everyone and he paid for them. Just a minute after his father came with some books also and when they were done both of them took a deep breath before diving out in the crowds again. 

The rest of their trip was done in similar fashion and it took longer time than was usual. But it was towards the end of their trip they had a real problem. They were on their way home when they heard someone yell Harry’s name. Both he and Tom turned around and were met with a sight of red-heads and one brown-haired. Harry saw how Mr. Weasley, Bill and Charlie started to back away from the rest of their family. He also noticed that the twins were nowhere to be seen. He was brought back by Mrs. Weasleys voice

“Harry dear, what are you doing with that awful man?” 

Harry raised his eyebrow in a very Tom-like fashion before asking

“If you had followed the trial, which I know you have, you know that he is my father.”

“But, Harry dear, you must be under the Imperius or something like that. It has no reason why you would go to him and get a family.”

“I’m who I am and you have no right telling me what reason I may have. Not after what you did to me.”

“What do you mean, Harry?” Hermione asked, trying to look concerned and failing at it.

“Don’t try and play innocent. I know how you and Ron were paid to be my friends and keep on the light side. I know of everything.”

“Harry” Ginny said in a sultry voice, trying to come closer to him. “They may have done so, but you still love me, don’t you.”

Harry sidestepped her attempt at getting closer to him and said in an almost deadly tone

“Don’t get me starting on you. I know of the love-potions and of your perfume that will enchant both me and the boys at Hogwarts. It’s illegal you know, I could get you in Azkaban for a thing like that.”

He turned to his father and nodded. Both of them started walking in the opposite direction trying to stifle the silent laughter when the focus of the crowd turned in anger towards one little part of the Weasleys. Harry understood now why the other ones had taken a step back. They probably knew the rest was going to make fools of them.  
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It was later in the day when the Daily Prophet came it was big rubrics on the sight of him and his father. It was also a big interview with the Weasleys but the reporter, Rita Skeeter, had changed their words to sound even worse than before and she also wrote about what Harry had told them. Actually quoted him right to the word. The rest of the day Harry was in a very good mood.


	5. On the way to school

Chapter 5 On the way to school

Harry was in the hall of Slytherin manor and he was waiting for his father to come. It was the first of September and Harry would soon get on the train to Hogwarts. He was exited but you had to know him to see it, because he had changed. He heard footsteps and saw his father on his way down the enormous stairs; ha was smiling. Harry smiled back and said

“Hello father, it’s a nice day is it not?”

“Ah, yes, a wonderful day indeed.”

Both of them smirked and both knew why. Harry was going to shock the whole population of Hogwarts with the stunt he had planned. As you probably know so was Harry really going to be placed in Slytherin and he planned on doing exactly just that. He had only told his father, nobody else knew. He himself knew that he had two options if he was going to survive in the house of serpents. He could show them his created mask of arrogant pure-blood or he could just say that he was supposed to get into their house from the beginning and hoping the will take it. He was planning on the last but it never hurt to have a backup plan.

Soon the both of them were at the station, looking over all the other people and trying to stay out of sight from a certain red-headed family. Soon Harry felt he had to go on and he hugged his father, earning a gasp from the people who saw, and soon he was on the train trying to find an empty compartment. He found one in the last one and he put his trunk away and took out his book he was currently reading. It was really fascinating and Harry became so engrossed in it that he didn’t noticed when the compartment-door opened. It was for that reason he jumped high when he heard someone clear their throats. He looked up and was met with Draco Malfoy without his minions for a change. But in their stead was Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinsson and Daphne Greengrass all of them was sort of hovering in the open door and Harry signed mentally.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” Harry asked sounding neutral.

“We were wondering if it was possible for us to join you?” Malfoy said sounding amost nervous.

“Do it if you want to.” Was Harrys reply before going back to his book.

The five Slytherins got in to the compartment, closing the door. Harry who sat closest to the window had Daphne on the other-side of him and Theodore on her other side, the other three was sitting with Pansy in the middle, Draco closest to the window and Blaise closest to the door.

“So we were wondering something, Harry?” Pansy said looking at him over the edge of the book.

“What is it?” he asked marking the page he was on in the book and putting it away.

“What is the story behind you and the Dark lord?”

“You know he stopped being dark when ha adopted me. And everything you have to know you can read in the Prophet or take the recordings from the trial.”

“But Harry, we know it’s more than that. Come on, I know we haven’t been the best of friends but…” Harry interrupted Theodore and said  
“That’s the understatement of the year, we were the biggest of rivals, at least Malfoy and I, the rest of you I don’t know so well. On that note, Malfoy, where’s your henchmen?”

“I dumped them; they were like the real Death-eaters just in the dark for fun. Not like the other families that were in on it because they wanted to change the magical world.”

“Don’t try and change the subject,” Daphne chided. “Have you something we could know?”

“What is it that you would possibly want to know?”

“Just something, you are after all living with the heir of Slytherin. Something had to happened and you maybe don’t want to tell us the personal stuff but something else?” Blaise said sounding frustrated with him. 

“I can tell you will have a big surprise in the year.” Harrys said smirking thinking of his plan.

“And what is that surprise?” Draco asked looking eager.

“That would be telling, but I promised you it will shock everyone.”

After that comment the Slytherins tried to get Harry to tell them more but they got nothing. The rest of the train ride the talked of trivial things. Not disturbed in the slightest which confused them until Harry told of the repelling-ward on the door. 

When they got off the train Harry followed them towards the thestral-dragged carriages, he went towards one of them and petted it. He got a playful shove from it and he laughed before sitting in the carriage with the other Slytherins.


	6. The surpise sorting and aftermath

Chapter 6 The surprise sorting and aftermath

Harry was at the doors to the Great hall looking over the Gryffindor table. His ex-friends were already there and they were looking for him. But he scanned the table and saw Neville Longbottom; ha was sitting by himself and Harry made up his choice. He went to Neville and sat by his side, soon Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas joined them and that was Harrys aim. Now no irritating know-it-all (Granger) or the Pratt (Weasley) could sit close to him and that would be crucial later when he was going to put his plan in action. He scanned the rest of the table and was shocked how everybody looked at him but it was with the normal curiosity, no malic or hate. Harry thought that many more would hate him of the thing he did but he was proven wrong. Everybody became quiet when McGonagall brought the first-years. The hat sang its song

I welcome you all to the sorting tonight,  
And I hope to sort everyone to the house that is right  
I hope to see you here and into you head   
So please put me on your head  
So we all would know in witch house you belong  
It might the brave Gryffindor   
Were chivalry is most valued  
Or maybe you are the opposite and   
Will to Slytherin go  
Were the most cunning dwell  
It is chance for you to be in fair Hufflepuff  
Were you find the most loyal   
Or you will belong in Ravenclaw   
Were the cleverest are to be found  
So come up here and find were you belong  
I promise you that I will place you fair

Everybody clapped and McGonagall started calling the first-years. When it was done and she was on her way to put the sorting hat away Harry stood up and made his way to the table. The hall was quiet and when Harry turned to the sorting hat on stool and asked it, everybody thought he was mad

“Sorting hat, would it be possible for me to do a resorting? You putting me in the house I was meant for.”

“It would be quiet possible Mr. Riddle.”

Harry arched his eyebrow when Professor McGonagall was gaping at him but she soon put herself together and called

“Harry Riddle.”

Harry sat on the stool and the hat was put on his head but before it has touched it the hat shouted

“SLYTHERIN”

The hall was silent before the Slytherin table raised the roof with the noise they were making; the whole table was clapping and shouting. Nobody had ever heard or seen such a sight from the Slytherins they were behaving like the Gryffindors. Harry smirked at Dumbledore, whom was rather angry but it only showed in his eyes. An: I will explain Dumbledore’s presence at the end of the chapter. Then Harry went to the Slytherin table and he was seated right next to Draco. It took some time before the table had calmed down and still it was buzzing with noises. The rest of the hall was quiet, nobody said anything. In all this Dumbledore had raised from his chair and started the feast. It took some time before anybody noticed but soon everyone was eating and talking about the latest gossip. Witch of course was about Harry. At the Slytherin table everybody was trying to talk to the new Slytherin but Harry didn’t take so much time with them instead he favored talking to Malfoy and his friends. 

“So this was what you meant back on the train? Draco said to Harry.

“Yeah, it was.” Harry answered him, not really knowing what else to say.

“Harry, what did you mean when you said the house you were meant for? Daphne asked looking rather intrigued by him.

“Back in first year, the Sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, said that Slytherin would help me to greatness. But I hadn’t gotten so good impression of the house before and I begged it to put me somewhere else.”

Every Slytherin within hearing distance gasped or sat stunned at the thought of the possibility of Harry Potter being in Slytherin all this time. The rest of dinner went smoothly and Harry was beginning to yearn for his bed. But he had other things to do before he could do what he desired. When the feast ended Harry stayed back and soon he was gone in the crowd. He went towards the second floor and into one particular bathroom. To his luck Moaning Myrtle was not in sight and he hissed in parseltongue before jumping down the slide. At the end he hissed again and saw the opening close. He banished all the skeletons from the dead animals and tried some cleaning charms. Soon the whole entrance was glowing in its eternal mystic green glow and Harry continued towards the Chamber of secrets main hall.

He harvested the basilisk and kept all the important parts. After that he went in search for his ancestor. His father had told him that every founder had left some form of magical essence in their personal quarters. Now he was searching for Salazar Slytherin. 

He didn’t find the essence but he found a portrait of his ancestor. This portrait had a bond with the one in the manor. Therefore he knew who Harry was and they had a small chat before Harry had to go back to the common room. He went through the dungeons and soon he was at the entrance. If you looked really close you could see the almost invisible snakes carved in the stone. He chatted with them and got the new password.

As soon as the door opened and he went over the threshold to the snakes den every eye was directed at him. It looked like the whole house was there. Soon he saw Draco waving at him from one of the sofas in front of the fireplace. So he went over and sat by Draco, he could sense how everyone was trying to move closer. Then started the interrogation.

“So, Harry, how come you know where the entrance to our common room is?” Said Pansy. “I mean nobody has told you.”

“I have been here before of course, in second year, I believe.” Harry said sounding rather smug about it.

“And how did you do it, Mr. Riddle?” a silky voice, Harry knew very well said from the entrance.

“You would want to know that, wouldn’t you, professor?” Harry said looking up in Severus black eyes.

“Very much so, if you would like to tell us. Even you must understand that if a dunderhead Gryffindor had access to our common room the consequences would be less then pleasant.”

“Very well, but I don’t think anybody will be as desperate as us. If you recall second year you would remember the rumors of the monster from the Chamber of secrets flying around Hogwarts. So I, Granger and Weasley got in our heads that we would try and see if our suspected heir was the one we thought. So we brewed polyjuice potion” Everyone drew a breath at that. Polyjuice was extremely hard to brew even for an expert.” And after that we took some hair from people close to our suspect and it was me and Weasley who went, Granger had gotten animal hair instead. “Everyone sniggered at that.” We asked our suspect and then we went out again. Simple as that.” Harry finished.  
Snape was watching Harry before he turned around and disappeared out.

“And where did you disappear to after the feast?”

“Talking to my grandpa, of course” Harry said with a small laugh at their bewildered looks.

“And how is that possible? We know every grandparent of yours is dead.”

“Oh forgive me; it should be a lot of great – grandfathers before that. But it would be a mouthful so he lets me use grandpa. It’s easier, that way.”

Before anyone could answer to that, a voice interrupted them.

“Harry, I know you were a Gryffindor before, but I thought even you would have the brain to not search for me in the Chamber.”  
Harry turned around in his seat and saw his grandpa standing at the entrance. He grinned and got up approaching his ancestor. Every Slytherin in the room was still barley breathing in the presence of their house founder. And everybody also stopped for a short time when Harry hugged Salazar Slytherin.


	7. Group dynamics

Chapter 7 Group dynamics

The stunned silence that was echoing in the Slytherin common-room was almost thick enough to take from the air. Harry released his grandpa with almost reluctance and beamed at him before being turned around and his ancestors arm over his shoulders. Soon everyone’s petrified state loosened and Professor Snape, with almost reverence in his voice, asked

“My Lord Slytherin, how is it possible? You here, alive?”

“Dear Severus, you don’t have to be so formal, in my own house all of you have the right to call me by my first name. And to answer your question, I´m dead. It´s only my magical soul left in the castle, my body is long gone.” Salazar’s voice was regal but held so much warmth and joy that it went almost unnoticed. “You could say I’m a very special kind of ghost,” Salazar continued. “The other founders are also here somewhere also but they are waiting for their heirs.”

Soon everybody went back to normal, or as normal as it could be with their long dead founder in their midst. They wanted to ask both Harry and Salazar about everything but they were Slytherins and had control over their mouths, not like those Gryffindors. The time went fast and soon everybody was going up to their beds. Harry saying goodbye to his grandfather and soon he was sleeping in the bed with the green bedding.

DFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDF

The next day shined bright and you could hear groans coming from the beds in Slytherin. The magical light from the windows was shining right in the faces of the room´s occupants. Harry was just grinning at the rest of his peers, he had woken about an hour before now and now he had a lot of fun watching his fellow Slytherins waking. 

“God morning.” He said in a chipper tone.

“Who hit him with a cheering charm?” was heard from Blaise´s bed.

“Naw, you should know that it´s just an hour left until classes start and if you want breakfast you should get out of bed.” Harry informed them with the same chipper tone.

After that statement it was quiet a short moment before all the boys, except Harry, was out of their beds and in a mad dash to try and get ready before school. Harry couldn´t help but think ‘and I thought Gryffindor boys were rowdy in the mornings.’

The rest of the day went much calmer then the morning and Harry was relaxing, getting to know his Slytherin peers on a more personal level. Over the course of a few weeks he learned a lot about the Slytherins, things nobody could even imagine that the cold and evil Slytherins would feel or think about.

He talked to Pansy Parkinsson and Daphne Greengrass getting to know the girls and he learned that Pansy was so mean against others because of her own insecurities, they had long talks about how she felt about herself and it was in her that Harry confined how bad the Dursleys had been. They got a deep bond over their shared stories and after that conversation you could almost always see the two of them together. 

With Daphne it was a different relationship that occurred, he was one of the few that got around her Ice queen persona and behind that wall she built was a nice and really funny girl that Harry liked to know more of. It was thanks to Harry that Daphne in the end even let the wall between her and the rest of Slytherins fall. He had a long talk with her and after that she did let her wall fall more and more until it was gone, at least in the presence of her house-mates to the rest of the school she was he usual self. The both of them had a grudging respect for each other and blooming relationship that made them the best of friends.

With Blaise Zabini it was an easy story, both of them had the same humour and they got many stinging hexes sent their way when they went into a conversation on their own. Nobody could understand them when they were talking to each other. It was like they did develop their own language of sorts, were the half of it was with understanding the others body language and their own glances. They could talk for hours with just their eyes and it was annoying for the rest of their friends. They were almost as bad as the Weasley twins in their communication.

Theodore ‘Theo’ Nott was very quiet and Harry could relax in his presence. They had this sort of relationship were they could sit quiet for hours reading or playing chess, giving small comments occasionally. Together they were the brains of the group; they could also be seen having heated discussions about their different school works or other things they were reading together. 

Draco was a more different story, because of his and Harry´s past rivalry they both had a rocky start but soon they found common ground and could be seen together at every corner of the school. And Harry was reluctant to admit it but he was having a small crush on the blond.

So if Harry were to have a conclusion of the group-dynamic he would say that Draco was the leader of the group, but he had Harry as second command, like his queen even if nobody would say it out loud. With Pansy it was clear she is the mother-hen, because of her caring nature and always doting on them when she felt they weren’t up to their usual selves. Daphne was the big sister nobody of them had, she was accusing her own place as older sister to Astoria, but they knew she was just happy to look out for them. Blaise and Harry both had the place of jokers in the group, they always could get the rest to laugh if they had a bad day and both of them were the little brothers of the group. And Theo would be the silent but strong big brother type; always watching out for the others but doing it from the shadows. He was their rock and their source of comfort in hard times.


	8. Home for holidays

Chapter 8 Home for holidays 

It was the beginning of December and the first snow had made Hogwarts’ grounds into a winter wonderland. The usual sight was to see the Gryffindor boys having snow fights, and it was true but an unusual sight was the sixth-year Slytherins in an even more furious battle. They had made two forts, one located near the lake and the other just inside the throwing line, Harry had gotten the fort at the lake with Draco and Blaise and the other team, consisting of Daphne, Pansy and Theo. Both forts were fantastic to put it mildly, both were built with magic and had had been strengthen with protective spells. Harry`s team, the Slithering snakes, had made a smaller version of Hogwarts with the outer walls and they were hiding inside the rectangular shape. The big gate was put towards the other teams fort, many whom saw they construction thought it rather foolish putting the only exit inside the throwing range but our boys was sneakier than that they had made an invisible doorway on the backside and a tunnel towards a big hill on the left side on their fort. One of the boys would go to the hill and do so many snowballs he just could, building up a mass amount of ammo, and then he would signal the other two. One of them would stay continuing with the façade of attacking the other team; the other two would go to their stash of snowballs and attack from their camouflaged hill. You could say that Daphne, Pansy and Theo did look like snowmen after the snowballs were to an end. As revenge they wiped out their wands and pelted the three boys with snow and everyone looked at each other and fell down laughing. 

It was a group with rosy cheeks, laughing and shoving each other in good matter, which came through the Great hall doors and went towards the Slytherin table. They sat down and everyone started piling up food on their plates.

“So how about it guys, will you go home for the holidays or stay at Hogwarts?” Daphne asked.

“Well, I have to go home, my father wants to learn all about the new things happening” Draco said, sounding like he didn´t want to go. And the others knew why, Draco’s father, the esteemed Lucius Malfoy, had many expectations on his son and Harry had insider information from his own father about Lucius being a little crazy after his stint with Azkaban and the dementors. Tom had told Harry that he wanted to take Draco and Narcissa away from Lucius’s grasp but it was not easy.

“I will go home; mother would worry too much if I did not.” Blaise commented, his mother was very doting on him and he was happy for it was under the holidays and other special events he got to have his mother alone, the rest of the year she was trying to seduce a new husband. Blaise had a long time ago started ignoring his mother’s suspected affairs, the public was completely sure she was murdering her husbands for their riches but Blaise knew that the rich people his mother got was doing illegal affairs or doing other filthy things to get their money, so she was just doing their society a favor in getting rid of them.

“I will stay, Astoria wants to see Hogwarts around Christmas and experience the feast. And our parents want me to have an eye on her.” Daphne said, really happy to have a reason staying for once.

“I will also stay.” Theo continued their conversation. His family didn´t even care if he came home or stayed at the school. The whole family was the same way, lone wolfs, doing their own thing not bothering informing the others what they were up to. They totally neglected each other.

“I wish I could stay, but my sisters miss me and I don´t want to disappoint them by staying. But if you want to we can all meet together after Christmas and exchange presents then?” Pansy said.

Everybody was thrilled at that idea so thrilled that they didn´t noticed the big regal looking hawk sitting by Harry, that until it bit him in the finger. Not enough to hurt mind you, but it felt, Harry gave a little yelp and gave the hawk a sheepish grin.

“Sorry Libertas.” He took the letter from the bird and offered it some of his water. He opened the letter and he smiled more and more as he came to the end

“What did it say?” Pansy asked looking rather interested in his letter.

“It´s from my father, he wants to know if you guys want to come over the manor after Christmas?”

“Hm, staying at the school or go to the esteemed and mysterious Slytherin manor and meet friends?” Daphne said grinning and looking rather mischievous.

“So you want to come?” Harry had to ask, even if had great friends now he was still insecure about them.

“Of course.” Everyone answered him, grinning the lot of them.  
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨*****¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  
The rest of the school year went on without incident and soon more than half of our group of Slytherins was on their way home. Everyone a little ecstatic, Harry the most, his first Christmas with his father and also the first one were he didn’t have to stay at Hogwarts.  
Soon the train was pulling in at King Cross and soon it was mayhem when all of the students were trying to get out first and families trying to find their children and siblings, total chaos. Our Slytherins waited till the train was almost empty before leaving with trunks in hand.   
Pansy’s family was the first to find them and Draco, Harry and Blaise hugged her before she disappeared with her family. Then Blaise caught sight of his mother and he waved them goodbye before waving his way towards the black-haired witch. Draco also found his father and mother before Harry got sight of his father, so they said goodbye out of sight from the blond duo and then it was only Harry left. He looked hard and was trying to see over people’s heads, not the easiest when he was so short.

Then a taller man moved out of the way and Harry got sight of his father, in well cut and flattering midnight blue robes. Many women was stealing longing glances his way and Harry smirked at the irony of the former dark lord being ogled by and sought after by women. He dragged his trunk over to his father and gave him a smile and a big hug. In return Tom hugged the life out of his son, been missing him so much. It had been quiet around the manor and he was happy Harry would be back, even if was just for the holidays.

Libertas: is a Latin word for freedom and I thought it proper to name the bird that.


	9. Christmas bonding

Chapter 9 Christmas Bonding

Harry woke with a feeling of trepidation and he wasn´t sure why until it hit him, it was Christmas morning. He sat up in the bed and smiled, on his bedside table there was a small box wrapped in green paper with silver ribbons. He took it and opened the box, inside was a bracelet with a silver-snake charm on it. He put it on his wrist and at once he felt his father’s magic cocooning him in a layer of protective magic. He smiled and went out of the bed, he didn´t bother with cloths instead he tiptoed towards his father’s bedroom. He opened the door just to put his head in and smiled at his father’s sleeping form, then he got hit with a mischievous idea and his childish side came forth. He opened the door more and went to the end of his father’s bed, then he took a leap and landed right on his father, whom woke with a start and went for his wand before seeing it was his child, smiling down at him.

“So, Harry, you thought it appropriate to wake me in that sort of fashion?” he said looking stern and completely serious.  
Harry faltered and thought that now he had done it, his father would send him back, but in the last minute he saw his father’s eyes sparkle just before he attacked and tickled Harry until he was shipping for air and begging for his father to stop. 

After a couple of minutes Tom let up and Harry was laying on the bed, trying to breath, but grinning up at his father. Tom gave him a big smile back and said

“I assume you want to go down to the tree now.”

“Yeah, you know it´s my first Christmas outside Hogwarts and I´m just so excited.” Harry answered. His grin turning into a big smile.

Soon you could hear laughter throughout the manor, the laughter of a boy running towards the big sitting room with a former dark lord on his heals trying to catch him. But when Harry reached the sitting room he had to stop, because in the middle was one of the biggest Christmas trees he´d ever seen. It was a deep green and filled to the brim with decorations, red, green and silver garlands wrapped in glitter, it was living candles in all sorts of different Christmas colors and at the top… it was nothing.  
Harry turned towards his father next to him and frowned.

“Why is there no decoration in the top?” he asked.

Tom just smiled and answered

“Because I thought it appropriate for you to put it there, it being you first Christmas here and all.”

Harry almost started crying, but he swallowed and nodded. His father just smiled and summoned the top decoration, a silver star with a magical light inside at its center. Then he gave it to Harry and warned him before he started levitating him up towards the top of the tree. Harry put the star at the top and was gently lowered, as soon as his feet touched ground the star shined more brightly and Tom explained that the star shined more if the family was happy. 

DFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDFDF

Throughout the day both father and son did all those things you usually do on Christmas with your family, it was sort of their way in celebrating their first real Christmas and they indulged in all sort of games and activities they hadn´t gotten the pleasure of participating in when they were children. They day went towards its end, they did have a spectacular Christmas dinner and soon both of them was sitting together on one of the sofas in the sitting room, just basking in each other’s company. Not to soon Tom got a glint in the eye and produced from nowhere another box, Harry gasped at the nice wrapping, this one was a glittering silver with a simple green ribbon on.

“Harry, I know you are my heir in blood already but I wanted to give you this, to both manifest your status, but also show you that I will never abandon you.” 

He gave the box to Harry whom opened it with such care you could´ve thought it was made of glass. And when he lifted the lid, he gasped again, because on a green velvet pillow laid the Slytherin family´s heir ring. It was an entwined snake; the tail was twisted so it was building a hollow in which a deep emerald stone was laid, then the snake body continued around the finger, if Harry would have had it on, and ended in the head which held the stone inside its jaws.

Harry started crying this time and he lunged himself around his father’s neck.

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Your welcome Harry.”

Soon they were sitting in silence, when Harry sat up and grinned at his father. He summoned his present and gave it to his father. It was wrapped in silver paper and had a lilac ribbon, Tom opened it with big care and inside was a book. Tom didn´t gasp but he made a little noise in his throat. It was written in parseltongue and it was Salazar Slytherin’s dairy. Tom did hug Harry tight in thanks and the settled once again.

And if you looked in the room you would see two shapes lying beside each other the bigger one had the smaller on wrapped inside his arms and the smaller was mumbling in his sleep

“Thank you, father.”


	10. Wounds (and love?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter has violence and if you don´t want to read it then jump over the section I have marked, it stands warning so it should not be hard to miss.

Chapter 10 Wounds and love

Two days after Christmas Harry was almost jumping up and down in happiness and anticipation. The reason, it was soon time for his friends to arrive, it had been decided that the teens get to spend time from now until the day they went back to Hogwarts.   
Harry was waiting in the floo-hall, for one of them to come through first. Soon the flames turned green and someone got spit out, Harry laughed when he had identified who it was laying on the floor.

“Very funny, Harry” Blaise said, “But could you help me up instead.”

Harry stopped laughing and went over to help his friend up. As soon as Blaise was up from the floor the sentient magic in the hall cleaned his robes from soot. Before either boy could say anything the fireplace turned green again and someone, much better than Blaise at floo-traveling, stepped outside.

“Hello Blaise, Harry” Daphne said, looking towards them before her eyes was diverted to the nice and luxurious ornaments around the room. Daphne along with Theo was the two history-nuts in their group, they could ramble on about almost anything historical and both were well versed in the different big magical families and their different histories.

Both Harry and Blaise went over to Daphne and gave her a hug, right before the fireplace once again became green and Theo stepped outside, he had just moved out of the way when Pansy stepped trough. After many hugs and greetings, they were waiting for Draco. And they waited, making small conversation as time went, but after about forty minutes they started to worry, it wasn´t like Draco to be late and their thoughts were at once on his father. The whole group knew about Lucius Malfoy, and his problem with the two other members of his family.

Soon it had gone an hour from their meeting time and Harry couldn´t wait any longer, he told Pansy and Theo to find his father and tell him what they thought. At the mean time Harry would take Daphne and Blaise with him and go to Malfoy manor, hoping to find their missing friend, hoping he had only forgotten the time or something similar. Nobody dared thinking what was more possible and more believable scene they were going to meet.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

When Harry and company got to the manor it was an eerily silence over the manor, not that it usually was bursting with song and sounds, but it was like a depressing fog rested over it and Harry got the chills running down his spine. They went out and started exploring, all three with their wands drawn and senses on highest alert. Soon Harry’s ears started picking up a sound, and not too many steps later he was running down the corridor, Draco´s screams echoing inside the manor walls and Harry’s heart was beating hysterically in his chest. 

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-WARNING-SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The scene he came upon was rather frightening, Lucius was standing over a bleeding Draco, Harry couldn´t see were the blood was coming from but if the state of his cloths was anything to go by, Harry rather not know right now. At the moment it seemed like Lucius was aiming a cruciatus at his son. Harry didn’t think, he aimed his wand at Lucius and uttered a “stupefy”.   
Lucius fell, stiff and rather disoriented. Harry didn´t pay him any mind, he fell on his knees before Draco, whom was still moaning in pain. Harry looked him over and seeing rather gruesome and bleeding wounds littering Draco’s back and arms. 

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-WARNING OVER - SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Harry was crying and trying every healing spell he knew, but the wounds were too deep for his spells to take effect and he tried putting pressure on the wounds but it was too many and Harry felt more and more despair. 

“Draco, try to hold on, I don´t want you to d-d-die.” Harry was crying freely and big fat tears were rolling down his cheeks. 

“Draco, if you hear, please, hold on. You hear me, D-D-Draco, please, if you don´t think it´s worth it think of me, and your friends, we can´t continue if you’re not there. You´re our leader.”

Draco was starting to become more still and his breathing was beginning to waver, it was hitching.

“H-H-Harry” Draco couldn´t continue and Harry got hope in him; maybe it was a chance after all.

“Draco, listen to me, I love you, and I don´t want to live my life without you, do you hear me, I love you, and you have to hold on, for me, please.”

And then someone was laying a hand on Harrys shoulder and he lifted his head, his father was standing there looking worried. Harry felt someone pulling Draco from him and he instinctively griped tighter, not willing to part with his friend and love. Severus, whom was the on trying to take Draco, said in a low and rather calm tone

“Harry, can you please release Draco, so I can help him.”

Harry released his death like grip on Draco and back away. Soon Severus was filling Draco with all sorts of potions and casting spells in all sorts of colors. Harry was silently crying and his father had his arms around him, comforting. Tom knew that trying to take Harry away from the scene would be torture on his adopted son, so he let it be, just holding his son, offering the comfort he could.


	11. Awakening (love?)

Chapter 11 Awakening (love?)

Harry was sitting down, almost nodding off in the chair he had occupied for the last three days. He hadn´t strayed from Draco´s side since he was placed in his bed inside Slytherin manor, he was really worried and despite Severus and his father´s assurance he wouldn´t leave his love´s side until he could watch those ice blue-grey eyes opened and he got reassured for himself that Draco was fine. Harry, himself, ate very little and slept even less. He promised, both himself and Draco, he would be there when he woke up, even if Draco had not heard his promise. 

“Harry.” The voice was quiet and gentle, “Would you please, lie down in a bed and rest for a while? You´ll damage your health if you continue on like this.”

The voice belonged to Narcissa, Draco´s mother; she had come home from the Malfoy manor located in France as soon as Severus had informed her of the situation. She hadn´t been aware of her husband’s whereabouts, or her son’s homecoming for Christmas. Lucius had assured her he was busy at work and would join her after Christmas. She hadn´t thought more about it, it was a regular thing for Lucius to be working more than he was spending time with family and he had told her Draco would spend Christmas with friends.   
Harry just looked at her before saying

“I appreciate your concern, Narcissa, but I need to be here when he wakes up.”

“And why do you need that? I understand that you love my son, but that is not a reason for you to neglect your health for his sake. What would Draco say if he woke up and found out you was sick because you waited up for him, how do you think he would feel? Because of him, you are ill and then he had to wait for you to become better before you could meet and talk again.”

Harry was quiet before mumbling 

“I didn’t think of that.”

“I noticed, and you won´t be going far, we could rearrange a bed for you beside him so you would be here when he wakes up, how does that sound?”

“Good, thank you.”

“No, need Harry, you saved my son´s life and you love him, I´m only looking out for my future son-in-law.” Narcissa said, with a small smile, which got bigger when Harry started spluttering and trying to form a response to her statement. 

Soon Harry had gotten some warm broth and bread before he was tucked in by Narcissa, a warm and happy feeling settled in his stomach, it soothed the worry witch had lied there for a long time.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Harry had a fantastic dream, he knew it was a dream because his parents were in it, live and smiling at him. He was sitting in a park, what he could see, on a blanket, a picnic-basket standing open with used plates and empty containers. He looked father away and could see a platinum blond hair racing on a broom, first he thought it was Draco but at a closer look he could see that the person on the broom was much shorter than Draco and he also got a glimpse of the platinum hair standing just a little longer away from the racing person. He concluded that the boy was Draco´s son and started to look for the one whom would have birthed the child. Instead he got a look of two pair of people sitting close to him and Harry was sure they hadn´t been there before. It was Severus and Narcissa, holding hands, both of them looking older and he could see some grey hair strands in Narcissa´s almost white looks. The other pair was rather familiar to him, but in other ways not, his parents, also looking older, were sitting opposite Severus and Narcissa and all four of them were conversing, but he couldn´t hear any words, just see the smiles and laughter in all the adult´s eyes. Soon Draco and the boy ended their game and was on their way towards the happy foursome. When Draco got close enough he smiled towards Harry, he smiled back and soon gasped when he got a good look on the boy for the first time. The boy didn´t have the same hair as Draco, which had appeared that way first time you looked, it was a shade or two darker than Draco´s and his features was someone else’s. Harry was sure he had seen those features somewhere but he was unsure exactly were, but when he got to the eyes, it was no mistaken, because the eyes that were looking towards him with a great smile was as green as his own. It was Harry´s own eyes looking back at him, and he felt the smile overtake his features.   
Then he woke up.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

When Harry opened his eyes it was to see one set of ice blue-grey eyes looking back at him, it took some time but soon his brain connected and he shot out of bed.

“DRACO!” He yelled, jumping out and trying to get to the blond as fast as possible, the problem was his bed sheets clinging to his legs resulting in a Harry falling on his face of his bed to the hard floor below. But hearing that beautiful laugh coming from the blond was worth the pain in his body. Soon he got himself free from his bonds and went over to the blonds side eyes roaming over him watching for the smallest of discomforts. 

“So Harry, I´ve come to the conclusion that you´re happy to see me awake.” Draco said, a small smile playing on his features.

“You can´t understand how worried I was for you, Draco. It was…”

Draco placed a finger over his mouth, hushing him.

“I do understand Harry, I heard what you said, and I feel the same. I couldn´t live without you, and I … I was on my way, I was ready, I couldn´t think of anything at the moment that would convince me to stay, but when you confessed I knew that I couldn´t leave you. I had to live for you, Harry, because I love you.”

The earnest and raw expression that Draco wore said everything to Harry and he leant forward, Draco meeting him halfway, the feeling when their lips met was so exhilarating and filled with emotion that Harry couldn´t describe it even if he tried. Draco´s lips tasted of citrus, dark chocolate and something that Harry identified as pure Draco. Behind Harry´s eyelids fireworks were exploding and his body was so smothering hot he was sure he would´ve melted if not for Draco.

They separated and looked each other in the eyes. Both were smiling and soon they leant in for another kiss. They were so enraptured in each other that they didn´t hear the door opened, it was first when a squeal and a curse was heard that they surfaced and watch towards the door. In the doorway stood four people, the one who squealed was Pansy and the cursing one was Blaise. 

“You couldn´t have waited just two days?” Blaise said, “I would have been rich.”

“And it´s your own fault for betting on our love life.” Harry said back, rather flushed but also so freaking happy he didn´t care. He and   
Draco was together, or at least he thought so, both of them did say they loved each other, but did that mean they were together? Harry made a mental note to talk to Draco when they were alone next time.


	12. 12

Chapter 12

The rest of the holidays continued without further incidents, the most exciting being Harry finding one of the many hidden doorways in the manor, being a shortcut from his wing in the house leading to the entrance hall. 

Soon they were once again on their way towards Hogwarts on the train, but the trip was not undisturbed. The three former friends of Harry had to go and once again try to get Harry to come back. He had just sneered and ignored them, his Slytherin friends following his example. When the weasel began to draw his wand he was met with six glowing tips, so he just grumbled and stalked away, the bookworm following scolding him and simultaneously trying to talk to Harry before they were too far away. The weaslette tried to hug him and putting her cleavage in front of his face. Harry just pushed her away and informed her of him being gay and in a relationship. She looked stricken before she started tearing up and running from the compartment. The rest of the trip continued on in a much calmer fashion, and soon they had taken the carriages to the castle and were sitting at the Slytherin table. 

Harry and Draco was holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. Their friends were rolling with their eyes, ‘lovebirds’ were heard from Pansy. Both the two mentioned lovebirds’ didn´t hear her, they had been like this since Christmas and at the moment they were in their own little world. They ignored Dumbledore’s speech and when the food appeared they took turns feeding each other. Their friends just ignored them; they were used to this behavior and didn´t pay much attention. When the feast were over the Slytherins left together, Harry and Draco’s group were in the forefront of their house and that was probably good for the things that would soon take place.

They were in the entrance hall and were just on their way to the dungeons when a group of three, red and gold clad, Gryffindors intercepted their walk. It was the two weasels and the know-it-all and they were not happy, Weasley were down right furious, his slutty sister looked rather disappointed like she did have a chance at all and lastly the bookworm looked disgusted why they didn´t know, but they could guess the reason.

“Harry! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” It came from the bookworm.

“What do you mean?” Harry looked confused.

“It´s not right, you and him, it´s wrong.”

“What´s wrong?” Harry was even more confused, he didn´t know what she was looking for.

“What she means, Harry. Is that it´s wrong for you and Draco to be boyfriends.” Pansy said, sneering at the three.

“Why would she think that?” Harry didn´t understand, he had learned rather early on in his transition to the magical world that same-sex couples were just as accepted as heterosexuals; the reason was foremost that through potions the purebloods could still have babies and heirs. And it was the biggest argument against gay couples but when it didn´t have any validity left the argument died down, mostly because until that point most of the purebloods had been on the side against but they all turned sides when an alternative was invented.

“Because she is a muggleborn and they aren´t always accepting of some things in the magical world.” Draco said.

At this the two Weasleys looked towards their companion and looked rather shocked, she had never hinted at her reasons for not liking the pairing, they had assumed she only wanted the same as them, that is Potter’s money and his fame status. They had it all planed with Dumbledore, Potter marrying Ginny, and Ron marrying Hermione, Potter would die in an accident and they would share his wealth.

“Is this true, Granger?” Harry turned to his ex-friend. “Are you that narrow-minded that you haven´t realized that the magical world see some things differently than the muggle world?”

“Oh, I have seen it, but it doesn´t mean I accept it and I know they all are just ignorant and haven´t come to realization jet. I mean they are still in the middle ages on some points, I had first thought that the magical world had the same opinion as I but it turned out they were all still practicing their pagan belief.”

“Is that it? I know of some things that the magical word seem to have kept from too far back, but they haven´t had any need for the inventions that muggles have needed. They already had spells for it or it went against the very nature of magic.”

“But Harry, you must understand, being muggle-raised, that the magical world is flawed, it´s not this glorious place were miracles take place. The magic disturbs the muggle world, it destroys the electricity and it´s innovations, the magic prevents the modern development that could take place.”

“Your arguments just show how ignorant you are to the magical world. It is the modern development, as you put it, that´s destroying the world. Magic is the core of nature, it sits in every cell and pore of everything living. Magic is what´s keeping the earth alive, hadn´t magic existed humanity would have wiped put the planet long before now. It´s not magic that disturbs the electricity it´s the opposite.”

At his words many of the purebloods and half-bloods, that had been raised in the magical world, nodded they all knew this. It was the muggelborns and half-bloods raised in the muggle world that looked rather confused, this was new to them.

“What do you mean Harry?” Granger was looking rather perplexed, this was new information to her and was living up to her moniker of know-it-all. She was almost salivating at the new information, not one of her books had even touched the subject.

“What I mean is that electricity is something man-made, it´s not natural except in lightning and then it´s a way for nature to release high density in the air. But the electricity in the muggle world, the tamed lightning, it´s not natural, the way humans have forced the natural chaos that is electricity, they have forced it to do things that’s not natural for it. And when you take an electrical component inside the magical world the magic feels the unnaturalness of the forced electricity and magic wants to free it, it´s the reason that most things explode when in contact with enough magic because it´s trying to release the electricity to its natural state of chaos lightning.”  
Granger was looking at him, she had an understanding look on her face and he knew that he had won her over. She looked at him and nodded, then she walked over to him with fast steps and wrapped him up in her arms. He felt her body shake and his shoulder got wet, after some time she released him, took a step back, wiped her eyes and said

“I`m deeply sorry for my behavior, I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I won´t ask for it, I just…” She faltered and looked unsure before she hardened her resolve and continued “Thank you Harry, for opening my eyes.”

Harry just smiled and said “Your welcome, Hermione.”

Both of them almost jumped in surprise when the rest of the school started clapping, happy for their mended friendship and Harry´s words, the purebloods and half-bloods hoping some muggle-raised took his words to heart and started see on the magical world with new eyes.


	13. The truth (sort of)

Chapter 13 The truth! (sort of)

The rest of Harry´s day continued on without something happening, he was waiting for the two younger Weasleys to make their move but nothing as of yet. The day went on as normal, they all went to their classes and during lunch, Harry and Draco was feeding each other and looking like the newly in-love couple they were. Soon it was afternoon and all the fifth year Slytherins were on their way to the Great hall and dinner, but as in the Entrance hall they were stopped, and guess who it was and you can only guess once. Yeah, it was the Weasley male, he was looking rather calm but Harry, who knew his ex-best friend, could see that the red heads famous temper would soon be released.

“What do you want, Weasley?” This came from Draco, a snide and biting tone in his voice.

Weasley fisted his hands before he exhaled, a rather strange behavior from the red head and then he said

“Harry, could I talk to you? Alone.”

“And you think I will go somewhere alone with you, you´re mad. I don´t trust you and if you think…” Harry was interrupted.

“I know you don´t believe me, but I just want to have the conversation alone, so no one can hear us. Your friends can come with, I just ask that we put up silencing barriers so no one hear what we say.” This coming from the short tempered usually boisterous and loud red head, made Harry think about his suggestion. It was not the usual behavior from him, and that made Harry trust him at least this time. So he gestured for Draco, Theo and Daphne to come with him and he nodded to Weasley, whom relaxed some more and for a moment he looked almost relived. They went down to the dungeons and into an unused classroom, Harry and Ron was in the front both leaning on two tables facing each other, the Slytherins were at the back all of them keeping watch over Harry as he applied the silencing and privacy wards around him and Ron. 

“So what do you want?” Harry wanted this to be over with and didn´t feel for trying to talk around the subject.

“Dumbledore did put me under a spell. No, don´t interrupt, I need to explain.” Ron was quick to silence Harry when he was about to   
argument.

“I know it´s sounds farfetched, but it was not a spell for me to obey and listen to him completely. You know I´ve always been jealous of   
you, both the money and the fame. But until forth year I´ve never wanted to harm you or take that away from you. It was just before the night when thee goblet would announce the champions that I met with Dumbledore, and when I came to his office that day, he cast multiple spells on me. Most of them were to enhance my jealousy and make me even more hot tempered. It was a part of the reasons for me treating you as I have, the other was my own greed. So I´m not completely innocent and I know you won´t forgive me, but I ´m willing to take an oath if you don´t believe me.”

“And what do accomplish by telling me this?”

“I just want you to know I´m not like that prat you have seen for the last year and I want you to know that I won´t continue to be mean or try and force you into the marriage with Ginny, I want you to know I no longer is with that group, but I´m not with you either, I´m on my own side in this.”

“I get it, but I want you to swear an oath, because I can´t go on just your word anymore.”

“I, Ronald Weasley, do herby swear, on my magic that everything I have just told Harry Riddle-Potter, is the truth and the complete truth.”

Both of them was quiet for a time before nodding to each other, but before Harry could take down the words Ron said

“Just so you know, Dumbledore has manipulated Ginny, she´s completely brain washed. So be careful.”

“I will be, thank you.” Harry was short in his reply, but he felt good knowing that the Weaslette was not as innocent as Ron was. Because nobody was that crazy, without it being encouraged from someone else.

As soon as the wards were down, Ron went out the door and left the four Slytherins to their own discussion of what had been revealed. At first the three were rather skeptical to the red heads explanation, but when Harry told them of the oath they all was convinced of the truth. 

Now they just had to watch out for the love-crazy stalker and the old manipulative fool.


	14. The last move and final truths

Chapter 14 The last move and final truths

Harry and his Slytherins were on high alert, they knew that the manipulative bastard and the little Weasley bitch would do something soon. 

Their other cohorts were out of the game and Harry was convinced these two were becoming rather desperate. But at the moment nothing was showing. Dumbledore was observing Harry at meal times, but that was a thing he had done all year so it as nothing new. The weaslette was also looking at him, but it was changing between love-struck fool and glowering and glaring at the ones sitting around him. And soon the two of them struck, it was a weekend when Harry was on his way to the library, he had forgotten his schoolbag there the other evening and he wanted to have it. At the moment he rounded the third to last corner leading him to the library and at once he felt something wrong. 

His feeling was right when he felt something move behind him, he turned around and saw the red hair of his stalker. A spell was heading towards him but his shield was fast up and the spell bounced off.

“Harry, what are you doing?” her voice was high pitched and almost screeching.

“What you mean, you attack me with a spell and I have to defend myself.”

“Didn´t you see, it was a love spell. You need to understand that I´m the only one for you, I know that you know it. Those pesky Slytherins have just spelled you to forget our strong love, I know that if you just give me a chance that you will come back to me.”

“To you? Or to Dumbledore? You have to stop this Ginevra, it´s not healthy and I can´t love you. Not when I love someone else, you´ve always been like a sister to me. It has never been anything between us, do you understand me?”

“But Harry you and me are meant for each other. Dumbledore said so.” 

“And why has he said that?”

“He has drawn a betrothal contract in our names, and he promised me the Potter fortune when you died.” She threw new spells, but everyone was blocked by Harry´s barrier, and as soon as she stopped he sent a stunner and she was not fast enough to dodge. She fell with a rather loud thud and Harry levitated her to the hospital wing.

Then he went to the common room and contacted his father with their two-way mirror. Finally they had some solid proof that Dumbledore was even more involved in Harry´s life.

Soon the whole school was high alert when they all felt some rather dark magic being practiced and everyone had gotten to the entrance hall watching their now ex-headmaster being escorted out by a squadron of aurors. The minister, Tom Riddle, was overseeing this arrest and he had hard time not grinning like a loon. Dumbledore was spitting and fighting, but the magic suppression cuffs were doing their work and without his magic the ex-headmaster was just a frail old man. Soon the party disappeared and the students didn´t know what to do or think, they knew that Dumbledore had not been as kind as he portrayed and they all knew of Harry´s fate under the man´s care, but until now they didn´t think he was a bad person. But for someone to be taken away in cuffs, overseen by the minister, then it was bad.  
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨*****¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  
They day after the students got their answers on how to do, the Daily prophet had published a whole extra number on how Dumbledore had misused his power as both headmaster and leader of the Wizingamot. It was not just against Harry, but the reporter had also asked older students and already graduated students. The stories told were not in the old man’s favor, many of the things he had done was involving money and the different way he had acquired them but also bribing, threatening families and even threatening to kill certain family members if they didn´t do as he wanted. And it was just the tipping of the iceberg, a rather large number of line thefts and attempt at line theft. Dumbledore had under many years taken children from wealthy purebloods just to raise them in different homes to become more loyal to him, some children he had killed just to make the lines die out and that made him one of the lone “survivors” of that line.

You could say that the whole magical world was in uproar, everyone was yelling for him to die, most popular was leaving him with the dementors. The ministry was put in blockade as to not let anyone in incase of someone trying to take Dumbledore´s life themselves. At the moment many of the people was camping outside it´s gates, some for hearing the first news of the case and others was waiting for their turn to tell their story of the ex-headmaster.  
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨*****¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  
At Hogwarts it was rather calm, the students were still gossiping about the ex-headmaster but the most of the hype had gone down. It had been a month now and the trial that was put together was an outright laugh. Dumbledore didn´t have any defense, no one was foolish enough to try and defend his actions and they all knew he would be convicted in some way, the trial was more of how he should be punished. They had decided that he would be stripped of his magic and be put under the heaviest surveillance in Azkaban with a constant guard of twenty dementors. 

During the time after the trial many of Dumbledore’s assets had been distributed to the different families that he had wronged. Harry hadn´t heard anything yet, but he figured that he was not a priority, he had it good at the moment. But soon their peace would be disturbed, it happened just after the desserts had been served, the doors to the hall was opened in a hurry and with great force a couple of aurors accompanied the party that came through the door, Harry recognized Madam Bones, his father and then it was a couple of other ministry personnel, but the last two in the group made the students inhale, it was no mistake the midnight blue robes with white embroidery, the robes signified a person that worked for the department of mystery. The group walked over to headmistress McGonagall, she put up a privacy barrier and they started talking. The students couldn´t hear a thing all they could go on was their headmistress’ facial expressions, she started out as her usual strict look, but it soon turned to happiness, she was shocked and angry but it turned to a more furious McGonagall, in the end she turned back to her strict self but a light in her eyes betrayed the news as leaning towards the positive side. The barrier was taken down and the group followed by the elderly witch, they started walking towards the Slytherin table Harry started to have a feeling of dread and his stomach felt heavy. 

“Harry Riddle. Will you come with us?” this came from madam Bones, her voice leaving no space for arguments. He rose from his seat, Draco was on his way as well but Harry told him to wait. Draco looked in Harry´s eyes and nodded, giving his hand a squeeze before they parted. Harry followed the group, they went through the familiar corridors and soon they ended up at the headmistress office behind the eagle gargoyle. Harry sat before the desk, McGonagall sat behind it and the rest of the group spread out around the office, Bones opting the other chair beside Harry. Harry looked confused, he mostly waited for someone to take the first word, it turned out be madam Bones.

“Harry, I know that this will come as a chock to you and can assure you that what I´m about to tell is the complete truth, do you think you can trust me?”

“It will depend on the things you are going to tell me.” He said, sounding rather diplomatically. 

“At least promise to listen until I have told the whole story.” Harry just nodded.

“Well then, it´s not easy but I will tell you that we´ve looked over Dumbledore´s affairs and we´re not completely done when it concerns   
you but it´s not much left. But to the important things, Harry, when we searched one of Dumbledore’s properties we found two persons. 

They had been put in a sort of coma and become prisoners, but as they told us, when Dumbledore´s magic disappeared so did their forced sleep until now they waited because they knew what had been going on. Apparently Dumbledore had come to them after every year and told them of the things that happened and then told them his plans for your future. Both of them wanted to find you but they were unsure of how you would take it and they didn´t know why they became free so they waited…”

Harry was growing impatient, he knew Bones was trying to give these persons excuses and he also knew she was trying very hard to not reveal their identities, so he voiced his irritation.

“Madam Bones, I appreciate that your trying to explain, but you can tell me the identities of these persons.”

“If you´re sure, Mr. Potter. They are your parents, James and Lily Potter.”


	15. Meetings

Chapter 15 Meetings

Harry sat stunned and in chock, his biological parents, alive. It was almost too good to be true but Bones had promised and Harry knew that they wouldn´t have tried to lie to him, they had nothing to gain from it at all. His magic was fluctuating but as his logical mind started to win over his emotional one, the magic started to calm down. 

“Do my father know?”

At first they looked confused but McGonagall understood and said

“Not yet Harry, we wanted to tell you first.” Harry just nodded, and then his mind went on a new track. ‘Would his adoptive father accept his biological ones? Would James and Lily accept he had gotten adopted by, from their point of view, the enemy?’

But then once again his logical brain took command, Bones had told him that the old bastard had told his parents of the thing happening, then they would know he was adopted. But still, had they accepted that or were they just waiting for him to meet them to show their disappointment and then disown him. He didn´t know and the only way to find out was to meet them.

“Can I meet them?” His voice sounded strong but inside he was trembling, both in anticipation and a little bit of fear.

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Harry was trembling, he had been moved to St Mungos, where his parents had been placed just to check on them and also because the personnel was bound to not tell anything about their patients and the ministry was very keen that this story would come out in the right way. 

But at the moment Harry was waiting outside the door to his parent´s room, on the other side was one of his most sought-after dreams but he was really afraid. But he had to, he couldn´t walk away now and if his parents hated him, then so be it, he had a new family now and if they couldn´t accept that then they were not his parents. So he steeled himself and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” it was a feminine voice and Harry thought it sounded rather beautiful but he could be biased, it being his mother because he knew the voice even if it was through a memory were she sounded scared he could recognize the voice. So he opened the door.

The sight that met him was rather idyllic, his parents were sitting in a sofa in front of a fireplace, looking like the ideal couple. He recognized them from his photo album, but they had aged and looked a lot more wary than in the happy photos. The looked at him and when the saw who it was a light was lit in their eyes. Lily gasped, but she rose from her spot and almost ran towards her son. She threw herself around his neck and hugged him, really hard, like she was never going to let go again and Harry after getting over the small shock hugged just as hard back. His father was calmer in his approach but he embraced both his wife and son in a hug that made Harry felt like he was at home, his father felt so strong and safe. 

They hugged for a long time, but soon they had to part but they stayed close to each other and Harry was trying to take in his parents, see what they looked like and he couldn´t help but try and find similarities between them and him, really showing he was their son. They went over to the sofa his parents had occupied, this time with him in the middle, they still hadn´t let go of him and both always had a hand placed on him.

“Harry.” It was his mother, and he turned to her. ”You have to know that we wanted to try and find you right after we were freed from Dumbledore but we didn´t…” here Harry interrupted her by hugging her again and he said in a very emotional voice

“I know, and I don´t blame you. In these times you can´t be too careful.” He smiled and his mother burst out in tears, but it was happy ones. 

His father just smiled and put an arm around his son.

“Harry, we want you to know that we know of your adoption, and we´re not completely happy by it, but we know of your situation and we do not blame you for anything. We just want to be in your life again and if that involves the family you´ve created in our … absence then we can work it out. If you want us in your life?” the last part was a little rushed and Harry realized that his parents was just as nervous as him and that became a reassurance for him so he just smiled and nodded.

“Of course I want you in my life, don´t be silly, I was afraid of you not wanting me anymore. I mean I got myself adopted by the dark side.”  
Both his parents just smiled and Lily said

“Then it´s you whom should not be silly, we all know that the dark side doesn´t exist and if we should label then it would be Dumbledore that’s dark.” 

And with that the newly reunited family started to get to know each other again, James and Lily wanting to hear of his time at Hogwarts from his point of view instead of the mangled one from Dumbledore and Harry asked his parents of the things he had gotten told by others, mostly to see what was true and what had been changed. They talked long into the night and when it was too late to send Harry back to school they decided that they should sleep and Harry would go back the next day instead.


	16. Parent meeting

Chapter 16: Parent meeting 

James and Lily had just waved Harry goodbye, he had taken the floo back to Hogwarts and left his parents alone for the mean time. But now that they had met him they felt much happier having actually laid eyes on their son for the first time since their “death” all those years ago. 

But they knew that they couldn´t just wait for him to come home, they had other things to do, like a meeting with their once enemy and new father to their son. Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as they had to remember, had shown them great kindness by taking Harry in, but they were not so keen on trusting the man just yet they had to meet him first. Even if they were okay by Harry´s adoption it still hurt and they were not completely satisfied with the arrangement but Lily and James loved their son and they knew that he would be devastated if they pulled him away from his friends and adoptive father now so they would meet with the former dark lord and hopefully come to an   
agreement. 

They had chosen to meet at Hogwarts, both sides had agreed that it was neutral ground and a reassurance that nothing dangerous could happen in case of hurting the students or Harry. So when some time had gone they apparated outside the gates and started walking up the familiar path to the front doors, McGonagall, as temporary headmistress until the board of governors had decided on a permanent placement, had opened the wards during a short span of time in which they could pass without harm. Soon the headmistress herself met them, she just nodded knowing the reason for their visit and the seriousness of the situation, but she had a small smile the whole time. 

They stopped outside one of the two meeting rooms Hogwarts had, often they were use when governors or other personnel came to the school and they needed a more formal setting for the meeting than the head´s office. McGonagall just put a hand on both their shoulders before telling them that ‘he was already there.’

She left them and Lily released a shuddering breath, James felled his wife´s nervousness and took her hand giving it a squeeze. They opened the door.

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Tom was sitting inside the meeting room, he had come just a bit early. He felt that for himself it would be better if he was first, he knew that his son´s future was at stake in this meeting, at least his future happy life. Tom felt that if Harry´s parents wanted to take him away then he would let them but it would be after he had laid forth his arguments. Nobody would have a chance at trying to imply he hadn´t fought for his son but he knew that would Lily and James go public and try the reunited-family card to the magical Brittan then he would lose, not everyone was satisfied with him being released from his crimes and he had to be on the alert all the time, this was an opportunity that the haters would try and use to the maximum. If he couldn´t contain it and try and plead his case, so he had to start by at least trying to make the Potters see reason if they were against him. 

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Lily and James came through the door and at first they stopped, looking at the man they had last seen when he was entering their home, intent on killing their son. But the image he had now was rather changed, he looked more human and not as snakelike which was a relief for the two. They started walking again and sat down, opposite of the other man.  
At the first the two sides just looked at each other but then Tom cleared his throat and said

“I know that you want to have Harry in your life and I am inclined to let you, for…” here he was interrupted, by a very hotheaded male Potter.

“You´re inclined, you have no right to Harry, if it weren´t for him being happy in your company we wouldn´t have let him be with you in the first place.” James was going to continue, but his wife had put a hand on his shoulder, she looked rather disappointed at him.

“Then excuse me for my choice of word, I know that Harry want you in his life also and I know he is rather conflicted at the moment in this matter.”

“How would you know what he feels, you haven´t had any contact with him since yesterday.” James was angry and it could be heard in his tone, but he was trying to act calm.

“I may not have met him or contacted him, yet, but I know that boy and at the moment he is trying to find a way for his two families to cooperate.”

“Like that will be possible.” James was still irritated and was muttering under his breath.

“Quiet James, you don´t know what you´re saying.” Lily´s tone was scolding. She turned to Tom

“If you are willing, we can certainly come to a decision or at least compromise. We both want what is best for Harry.”

“You´re being reasonable, and I am willing to listen to your proposition. Then we can discuss eventual changes and of course, we should talk to Harry later on as well.”

Lily smiled, just by saying they should listen to her son and give him a choice made Tom rise in her eyes and if James weren’t so stubborn he would see it also. 

Many hours went on but soon the two sides had come to a decision and when they told Harry he liked it and soon Harry had two homes to visit when he left Hogwarts for the breaks. He linked it to having divorced parents, with him being some time with his adopted father and some time with his biological parents, but he loved it and couldn´t feel any happier.


	17. Epilogue

Chapter 17 Epilogue

Harry was sitting on a blanket in a park, his son and husband standing a little further away. Cayden had wind swept hair from his flight and his father was trying to make it stylish again, soon the duo started walking towards their assembled family. Cayden´s grandparents were sitting on the blanket beside Harry, Lily and James Potter had aged rather well and both were still beautiful and healthy, the advantages of being magical. Sitting across from the couple was another couple, both had also aged well and both were looking rather happy.

“Uncle Sev, will you tell me about papa´s adventures in Hogwarts?” Caydens young voice was heard and soon a bubbly seven year old had bounced over and sat down beside his uncle.

“Not yet Cay, we´re still waiting for your grandpa.” 

Cayden pouted and gave a squeak when his papa ruffled his hair.

“Harry, do you know how much time I spent on making it flat.” Draco Malfoy-Potter was sounding rather irritated.

“You know it´s futile, he has the Potter hair.” Harry said to his husband before making him sit down and kissed him.

Cayden made gagging noises and then giggled when his grandfather James took him and proceeded to tickle the living daylights out of him.

“Well this was a nice gathering.” The voice was still as calm and tilted as always, even it was sounding older.

“Grandpa!” Cayden was out of James´s grasp and bounded over to his grandpa Tom, whom was holding a rather big box wrapped in green with a silver ribbon on top.

“Hello Cayden and happy birthday.” Tom Riddle had also he aged very nicly even if he was older than the rest of them he still didn´t look over sixty. He greeted the rest of his family, and sat down.

Harry looked at his assembled family, they were his life and he got hit with a flashback. He had been sixteen and had just woken from a dream, but it had not been a dream because it was happening right now. Harry just smiled and felt like he couldn´t be happier, he now had a family and he felt that had he not taken courage to go to Tom that night so many years ago then he wouldn´t be here today so he thanked his younger self for the choices he made.

THE END


End file.
